TEQUILA EXPO

You don't even have to like tequila to have fun at the annual Tequila Expo held each year in Tijuana. The event began in 2001, and like most gatherings in Mexico, the Tequila Expo is just another excuse to have fun and drink. If you happen to like tequila, it's just that much for fun!

Held each year in mid October, Thursday through Sunday, they literally close down Tijuana's most popular street at the south end to host this epic gathering. They place a ticket booth at one end of the event, bathrooms at the other end, and fill up the booths in between with several dozen tequila companies. There are dozens of tables and chairs in the middle section of the Expo.

For $5 they provide you with a wrist band that allows you to sample tequila from all of the various vendors free of charge. Yep, that's right, por nada. You can see that this event may require some degree of discipline for those who want to sample many different types of tequila.

The beginning of the end for two college girls sampling tequila at the Tequila Expo.

Seasoned aficianados know that it's important to come to the Tequila Expo with a good meal under their belt to help absorb the alcohol. Fortunately there are dozens of fun restaurants surrounding the event on this street, Tijuana's most popular tourist destination.

Free tequila...sounds good. But wait! There's more! Even the most seasoned tequila drinker wants to have a cold beer once in a while, and that's where the $1 beers come in. There are usually a few vendors offering cold cervesa at a buck-a-beer, which helps round out the palate just fine.

Each year the promoters of this quality event hire entertainment to keep things lively, and everything from mariachis to folklore dancing lights up the stage every hour or two. Evenings at the Tequila Expo have a unique flavor of their won. Pun intended.

Most of the tequilas being represented at the event are not the power house distributors that dominate the tequila world. Many of the small tequila brands that you rarely hear about look at the Tequila Expo as a chance to expose their small but growing companies to the world.

There are a few booths that are like small liquor stores, offering both name brand and up-and-coming tequilas. And there are some 'show specials' that are hard to pass up. At the 2005 Tequila Expo Carlos Fiesta got two bottles of tequila and an awesome Tequila Expo T-shirt for $15. The shirt alone was worth $15.

The Tequila Expo is a good time to satisfy the wife and famaily who wants to head to Tijuana to take advantage of the amazing shopping opportunities and other fun options on Revolution Avenue. Just pick a date that coincides with this fun event and everyone will have a good time.